"Don't forget the hobnobs!" Jane called after her as Darcy disappeared round the corner towards the kitchen.

"Sure thing!" Darcy's voice was cheerful, but her smile dropped the second she was out of sight. When she'd been invited to help Jane at the secret Avenger's base in central London, she'd expected something a little more adventurous than making coffee and braving the biscuit section at the local supermarket. Not that she'd minded too much at first; it was exciting to explore the base and chat to the superheroes who came visiting. And there were plenty of chances to sneak off and play the London tourist, even if Ian took a little time to convince. But it wasn't the same since Ian had been reassigned to the New York base. It wasn't as if she missed him or anything, she would never admit to that, but the fun he was clearly having over there without her was a little hard to swallow. It didn't help that for several weeks now, the superheroes had all been sent off in the pursuit of Thanos and his minions, Thor included.

The last few days had been slightly more interesting though, now that Darcy had managed to swipe Jane's security pass. But as luck would have it, ever since the card had burned a hole in her pocket, she'd barely had chance to use it. Jane or Erik seemed to have become her constant shadow, as if they suspected she was up to something. And too many guards and intimidating officials in black suits or khaki were prowling around. Not today though. Nearly everyone who was still stationed here had been sent out following a lead in Greenwich and the base was deserted. And as Darcy neared the kitchen, she suddenly spotted an opportunity. There was a door marked No Entry Darcy had been dying to explore for days. And it just happened to be right next to the store cupboard where the Hobnobs were stashed.

With these precious spare minutes to poke around, Darcy didn't even look back. Well, except to make sure her shadows weren't following. And that Lady Sif and her prisoner weren't around. Not that they were supposed to call Loki that. He was here of his own volition, helping them track down Thanos and the mystery realm he was hiding in. Something to do with wormholes and secret passageways, which apparently tied in nicely with what Jane was studying. That the shieldmaiden was left here, and seemed to be keeping a close eye on him, was all just a coincidence, apparently. A coincidence Darcy was grateful for. The trickster unnerved her and she couldn't forget what he'd done to Erik, Thor and the people of New York. No matter how much the Thunderer talked about his brother's so called olive branch.

Darcy held her breath as she slowly touched the swipe card against the scanner. The light stayed red and for a moment she feared she heard the blare of alarms erupting and security lights flashing. But it was only the click as the lock released and a flash from red to green. The reinforced steel door slid open and Darcy stepped forwards cautiously. And froze a moment later.

Before her, in what was nothing more exciting than a store cupboard full of boxes of files and old computer gear, stood Sif and Loki. Nothing remiss in that, of course. Except that their arms were entwined around each other as tight as ivy and they were kissing each other so passionately, Darcy wondered if she'd missed the heads up that the world was about to end.

The cry of surprise that escaped Darcy's lips was enough to make them both jump apart from their fervent embrace. Sif and Loki looked at each other in shock for a heartbeat, before slowly turning to the one who had disturbed them.

Neither had chance to speak before Darcy's gasp turned into a torrent of words. "I'm sorry, so sorry. I didn't know anyone was back here. I just got lost, looking for Jane's hobnobs. I didn't know you two were even here! I swear! Or that you two are an item now. Wow, never saw that one coming. Does Thor know, or do you need me to keep tight lipped on this? Because if so, I'm totally your man. Well woman. I can totally keep a secret. Holy cow! Loki and Sif! I never would have guessed. That is…"

"Darcy!" Sif interrupted sharply, enough to make Darcy stop babbling instantly. She looked fretfully at the two Asgardians, her heart hammering in her chest. She didn't miss the way Sif's hand had reached for the sword at her belt. Or that before her stood the trickster who had tried to destroy an entire planet. And she had just caught them making out in the store cupboard!

The two lovers shared embarrassed, irritated looks. Sif was restless, her fingers continually clenching as she stared down the prisoner. Loki looked thunderous, eyes fierce. A few, very tense moments passed by. Darcy did her best to keep her mouth shut as the silence became deafening. Then, the illicit lovers seemed to reach an understanding.

An imperceptible nod from Loki and Sif started to speak, her voice strained. "We are not an item, we are just…" The warrior's voice trailed off and the awkward silence threatened them again.

"We are not together," Loki's suddenly calm voice announced, continuing where Sif could not. "Despite how it may appear. We are just friends, so there is no need for you to tell anyone, especially not Thor."

Darcy certainly didn't miss the emphasis on that last part, nor the sudden threat in the glare Loki gave her with Sif's head turned.

Nerves and embarrassment got the better of her again and words jumbled out of their own accord. "Oh, right. Ok. I get it. Your friends. Friends with benefits. Totally dig that. And why not. Two, err.. young Asgardians like yourself, stuck here at the base. Totally ok with it and my lips are sealed. I promise..."

"Yes, I suppose you could call us friends with benefits," Loki interrupted her smoothly, a mischievous smile forming as he quoted the modern phrase. As if he hadn't just been trying to murder her with his eyes a moment ago.

He looked about to continue, until Sif added anxiously, "Which is why we would be greatly in your debt if you did not tell anyone about what you have witnessed today, especially not Thor."

Even though the shieldmaiden echoed the very same words as the trickster, her words seemed to irritate him and he turned towards her angrily.

"Indeed, you would not want my darling brother to know about us."

"That is not..." Sif began, seeming just as confused as Darcy with Loki's sudden anger.

"Spare me the excuses, Lady Sif." Loki quickly cut her off. "Do not think me a fool! I know you have only been warming my bed for centuries because you cannot warm Thor's!"

"Loki I..."

This time it was Darcy who interrupted the shieldmaiden. Perhaps not her wisest of ideas, but curiosity got the better of her. "Wait. What. Centuries!" Darcy shook her head in disbelief. "You've been sneaking around together for centuries!" If her voice had become slightly high pitched, Darcy hoped the Asgardian's didn't notice.

"We have not been sneaking around..." Loki turned on her angrily.

"And after what happened," Sif added, "it is only recently we have begun spending time together again."

"But before the whole Thor's banishment, Loki trying to rule Earth thing, you two were an item? Sorry, I mean friends with benefits." The anxious looks that passed between the lovers confirmed Darcy's suspicions. "Because, wow, that's a long, long time. To be just friends I mean. With benefits. It's usually just a few months for us, mere mortals." She tried a quick laugh, but the stony faces of the Asgardians halted it.

"I am quite sure you do not have authority to be in here, Darcy." Loki's voice became threatening again as he interrupted her. His looked around at the incredibly dreary room she'd broken into before giving her an icy glare.

Yes, there was that technicality... Not exactly the best choice to begin her forays of breaking into top secret rooms. Although what she'd found inside was certainly unexpected…

She nodded at Loki, "Yep. Got it. You keep my secret and I'll keep yours. No one will ever know about me getting a bit lost in here… And I swear, I'll not tell a soul about your relationship. Friends with benefits I mean… Totally got it. But holy cow! Centuries! Such a long time… Never lasted so long in all the romcom movies. They always end up falling in love and living happily ever after."

Loki's glare turned apocalyptic, and Darcy quickly back tracked, or tried to, "But… well… guess not the case with you two, what with the whole Thanos, Ragnorak thing going on... And after what Loki did…"

"Darcy!" Sif's patience ran out again, "It is nothing like your Midgardian movies! We are just friends who enjoy each others company!" The shieldmaiden gritted her teeth and Darcy noticed her hand once again fiddling agitatedly with her sword. "And what Loki has done is not your concern. He has already been imprisoned for his cri… his transgressions! He has been allowed to remain here after being feared dead and…"

"Shame I did not stay buried, is it not, Lady Sif!" Loki suddenly interrupted her, surprisingly angry after the sheildmaiden's defence. "How convenient that would be for you, sharing your so called grief with my brother, working your way into his arms!"

"When you have twice mourned for me, Loki, I grant you the right to judge. But even now you still understand nothing!"

"Spare me your empty sympathies, Lady Sif! You were never a wordsmith or a good liar …"

"No!" Sif interrupted angrily, "Lying was always your forte, Loki Laufeyson! And you have allied yourself with lies for so long, you cannot see the truth!"

"The truth!" Loki scoffed. "What truth may that be, dear Sif. Please enlighten me."

With eyes flicking anxiously between the two, Darcy watched as the Asgardians waged a war of words against each other. Precisely how they'd gone from kissing so passionately to arguing so intensely was beyond her!

They were facing one another now, Sif's hand tightly on her half drawn sword and Loki's arms crossed. Their glares were savage, merciless, and fear began to creep through Darcy's veins. She had no idea what the two were fully capable of. And if they did start physically fighting one another…

"What good would it do me, Liesmith! If centuries have not yet proved what my words cannot."

"Indeed, your actions speak highly of your motives, Lady Sif. The way you follow your beloved Thor around like a lovesick puppy! Tell me, what plans have you for the mortal Jane, or are you waiting for her to perish before you offer him your shoulder to cry upon."

"Hey!" Darcy spoke up in defence of her friend, not at all liking the sudden, threatening turn against Jane. "Leave Jane out of this!" Her protests, though, were completely ignored.

"And what would you wish of me? Do you expect me to stand idly by whilst my friend suffers and offer no counsel or sympathy? You may be cruel and heartless, but it is not a trait I share!"

"Oh indeed not. Where Thor is concerned you are everything to the contrary." Loki was almost snarling at Sif now, the two beginning to circle each other like vultures over a carcass. "What would my dear brother think if he knew the truth? Perhaps I should tell him, reveal how fake and callous you can be to others, how you have been with me!"

"Do not taunt me with idle threats, Loki! You would never dare tell your brother a thing about us. You fear his abhorrence too strongly!

"And you fear his acceptance!"

Something in his words must have cut the sheildmaiden as sharply as the sword she now held. She stepped towards the prisoner and raised it high, pushing the blade against his throat. "Do not dare!"

For a moment, Darcy forgot to breathe, watching the scene unfold like some gawker at a traffic accident.

"Or you will kill me? From lies to intimidation, Lady Sif. And you accuse me of empty threats." Loki inclined his head towards the sword, allowing the blade to touch his neck. "So violent. So cruel. What would Thor say?" He laughed as he lazily pushed the blade aside and stepped closer towards Sif. "After all, your precious, honourable Thor would never want the spoils of his treacherous brother!"

It all happened in the blink of an eye and Darcy jumped forward in alarm. Lady Sif raised her free hand, about to slap it across Loki's face. Darcy winced in anticipation, but the snap of contact never came. A few inches from his cheek, Loki had grabbed her wrist and stopped its motion.

The two glared at each other with such blazing hatred, Darcy feared one would spontaneously combust. Blows were now inevitable and panic hit her. She could tell Jane or Erik, but what more could they do? There was no one left on the base who could deal with these two skilled warriors. Darcy wanted to run, but then what would happen to Lady Sif. She was strong and fast, but Darcy had no idea what Loki was capable off. His magic may have been restricted by his father, but Darcy couldn't leave the poor shieldmaiden at his mercy.

The two moved towards each other in a flurry of movement and Darcy swore her heart actually stopped beating. But there were no crashes or cries; no blows or flashes of magic. Just the clattering as Sif's sword hit the floor and she wrapped her arms around Loki. A moment later their lips crushed together in a searing kiss.

"Holy cow!" Darcy couldn't believe it! Of all the things she'd witnessed today, this sudden change shocked her the most. She would've laughed had her heart not been pounding. Talk about a fine line between love and hate! Yet as she stood there dumbfounded, their strange relationship, or whatever they wanted to call it, actually started to make sense. They had issues, a lot of issues, but there was a certain similarity between them... And friends with benefits they clearly were not. Gosh, what a romcom those two would make!

The loud bang as Sif pushed Loki into the filing cabinet snapped Darcy out of her reverie.

"Guys, hey guys!" She wasn't surprised when the couple proved completely oblivious to her. It was as if Darcy had never interrupted them at all, even though a good five minutes must've passed. Five minutes! Jane would be foaming at the mouth for her hobnobs!

A moan from Sif as Loki pressed his lips against her neck was all the push Darcy needed. She hastily headed for the door, fingers already crossed that Jane would be too engrossed in her work to notice the lack of coffee and weird English cookies.

But luck was definitely not on her side today, as her boss slash friend's voice echoed down the corridor.

"Darcy! Where are you! Where are those hobnobs!" Darcy quickly stepped through and shut the prohibited door, but it wasn't quick enough.

"Darcy, what are you doing! You're not supposed to be in there."

"Sorry, I err, got a bit lost, looking for the hobnobs." She held her hand up expectantly, but of course there were no packets of biscuits to confirm her excuse. Only the security pass, which Jane's gaze immediately fell upon.

"I've been looking for that everywhere!" She held out her hand and Darcy sheepishly passed it back.

"Sorry Jane. I… err…" More excuses were not forthcoming, her head still reeling from the strange occurrences she had just witnessed. She tried to move hastily away from the door, but Jane barred her way.

"Whilst we're here, I'll just grab that file from the…"

"No, no! I can get it for you later. Or you can, since I'm not supposed to go in there... Let's go make the coffee shall we…" She took Jane's arm and tried to lead her hastily away, but Jane stayed rooted to the spot.

"Darcy, what's going on?"

"Nothing! What on earth could be going on? There's no one here! I'm just in need of my coffee and those lovely hobnobs."

"Darcy, you hate the hobnobs…" She moved towards the door, but didn't get very far. Darcy grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away.

"Darcy, what the…"

"You do not want to go in there, trust me!" Darcy dropped her arm, but stood in front of the door. It did little good, Jane was even more curious than Darcy and quickly pushed past her.

The reinforced steel made no protest, despite Darcy's hopes, and moved aside at the command of the swipe card. Jane disappeared into the room and Darcy followed cautiously behind her.

The scientist stopped so quickly Darcy banged into her. Luckily though, the only luck the day afforded her, Jane made no audible comment. Just stood rooted to the spot as she tried to take in the scene before her.

The two Asgardian's were still oblivious to anything but each other. Now, though, it was Loki who had Sif backed up against a wall, his fingers buried in her hair as his lips trailed down her neck. Sif's own hands had somehow found their way under his shirt and one leg was wrapped tightly around Loki's thigh.

Without a word, Darcy grabbed her friend's wrist and pulled her backwards, quickly shutting the door behind them.

To give her credit, Jane only stared at Darcy dumbfounded for a minute or two before she spoke. "Did I just… Loki and Sif… They're together?"

Glad for her own heads up, Darcy was more than happy to take control. "Yep! Never called that one. Although guess that explains why Sif always kept such a close eye on Loki."

"She… she was supposed to be guarding him."

"Well, I don't think he'll be up to mischief any time soon."

Nodding, the scientist took a few deep breaths and seemed to calm down slightly. "We have to tell Thor, he can't know, otherwise he'd have told me…" Jane looked a little sheepish. "I was always worried Sif cared for Thor. He said it was silly, but I still thought… guess I was wrong."

"We both were," Darcy admitted. Ever since the shieldmaiden had shown up in New Mexico, Darcy had been convinced she had the hots for Thor. Although, the more she thought about it, Sif had never actually appeared jealous around Thor and Jane, only sad… Yep, Darcy was definitely starting to understand the whole Loki and Sif thing a lot more. "But we can't tell Thor. They're all weird about it and made me promise…"

"You spoke to them?"

"Err, yeah… I kind of interrupted them…Said they were just friends with benefits and no one needs to know."

Jane snorted, a sound Darcy was definitely not used to hearing. "If that's what the phrase means in Asgard… But I can't keep a secret like this from Thor! I'm a terrible liar, Darcy. He'll guess straight away!"

"Then perhaps we need Thor to find out."

Confusion covered the scientists face for a moment so Darcy gave her what she hoped was a devious wink. It must have worked, as recognition dawned and Jane started to smile. "Yes, Thor needs to find out, but on his own…"

"What's going on?" Erik's voice suddenly called behind them, interrupting their plotting.

They spun around towards him, unable to hide their guilty expressions. "Nothing, we're just about to make coffee, want some?" At least this time Darcy's voice sounded more convincing.

Erik shrugged, "Sure. And some of those delicious hobnobs." He began walking away and called back over his shoulder. "Maybe we should ask if Lady Sif wants any, she loves coffee even more than Thor. I don't think she left with the others." As he finished, he stopped walking and turned back towards them.

"Err…" Darcy looked at Jane nervously, "I don't think Sif wants coffee right now…" Her voice trailed off and she couldn't help but look nervously towards the door.

"Oh. Where is she anyway? I think she stayed here to guard Loki." He shuddered a moment, obviously not quite as happy with Loki hanging around as he claimed. He followed Darcy's nervous look and understanding was quick to dawn. "Oh, is this their new hide out then?"

When the two women looked at him in complete shock, the physicist merely shrugged. "Caught them at it a week ago. Luckily they didn't see me. I don't think they want anyone to know."

Darcy and Jane both turned towards the other and said in unison. "Thor has to find out!"